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‘Parliament must declare Pakistan a terror-state … we keep telling other countries but can’t do business-as-usual ourselves’

While Pakistan has put 26/11 mastermind, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed under house arrest, the banned JuD used a familiar stratagem by remerging with a new name: Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir (TAJK). Rajeev Chandrasekhar, independent Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka and NDA vice-chairman in Kerala, has moved a private member bill in Parliament to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. The bill was recently discussed in Rajya Sabha and he spoke to Nalin Mehta on the reasoning behind it and whether it could achieve anything beyond symbolism:

You introduced the Declaration of Countries as a Sponsor of Terrorism Bill, 2016, as a private member bill and it is now being discussed. Is this just symbolic sabre rattling or do you hope to achieve something tangible?

There is no doubt in anybody’s mind that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism. This came into our drawing rooms on 26/11. In 2016, Pakistan began with a terror attack in Pathankot in which seven people lost their lives. This was followed by a series of attacks in Gurdaspur, Machil, Pampore, Uri and Nagrota to name just a few. The year 2016 itself ended with an attack in Pampore. In all, we lost 87 lives and 165 militants were killed in 2016. That Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism as a way of waging war on India is a widely known fact.

We as a nation have spent many years going around the world asking international countries to declare Pakistan a terrorist country. While we are the biggest victims of Pakistan’s terror activities and we want other countries to declare Pakistan a terror state, it is a dichotomy that we continue business with Pakistan and not call them a terror state. It is high time that our Parliament, reflecting the will of the nation, goes ahead and declares Pakistan a state sponsor of terror. We have to re-architect and re-frame the narrative we have with Pakistan.

What does this mean in practical terms? For example, diplomatic relations and trade ties have not been cut: What specific steps do you want government to take?

The first step is articulation of the problem. The second step is piloting the bill and starting the larger discourse. One thing that governments and politicians are very sensitive to is public opinion. The tragedy in India is that public opinion on Pakistan waxes and wanes with terror attacks. The whole objective of introducing this bill is to start a discourse that discussions should not ebb and wane when there is a terror attack, that the people of India start a conversation on what our relationship should be with Pakistan, given that it is a terror state.

You want pariah status for Pakistan?

It is important that India should have one stand against Pakistan. We tend to get distracted by questions like should we be friendly with Pakistan, and by thinking that it is not Pakistani individuals or citizens who are responsible for atrocities against India but the Pakistan army. We give them a way out of what should be the rational anger of a nation against a nation.

Enough is enough. There is obviously a gap between the popular sentiment and political sentiment about Pakistan. The political sentiment has been way too pragmatic. We want the popular sentiment of India to get inside the door of Parliament and not just restrict it to sound bytes and periodic chest beating. We can’t go back to saying we share the same culture, the same civilisation and keep getting distracted by non-issues like movies and actors.

You are pushing for government to take a realistic view of Pakistan, not an idealist one?

Exactly. I would like the government to say and do what they said after the attack on Uri: which is to say business-as-usual is not on the table and we are going to re-examine everything to do with Pakistan. Every one of the options we have as a nation should be put on the table: Most Favoured Nation status, the Indus Waters Treaty, trade restrictions and so on. Why should we allow Pakistan International Airlines flights from Karachi to Singapore over India? There are economic levers that we can use to legitimately express our frustration at Pakistan not living by the rules of being a civilised nation. When lives are lost in India they must be held accountable.

Isn’t the international diplomatic climate also better for such a step?

The world is exhausted with terrorism. The world is done with alibis for violent crime. There is no justification for violent crimes against innocent people.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Author

Nalin Mehta is an award-winning social scientist, journalist and author. He is consulting editor with The Times of India and editor of the international journal South Asian History and Culture (Routledge) as well as the Routledge 'South Asian History and Culture' book series. He has previously been managing editor, Headlines Today (India Today Group), adjunct professor at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and held senior positions with the Global Fund in Geneva, Switzerland, and UNAIDS. He has also held fellowships at National University of Singapore, Australian National University, Canberra, La Trobe University, Melbourne, and the International Olympics Museum, Lausanne.
Mehta's books include 'Behind a Billion Screens: What Television Tells Us About Modern India', a critically acclaimed national bestseller long-listed for Business Book of the Year by Tata Literary Live 2015; ‘India on Television: How Satellite Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act', which won the 2009 Asian Publishing Award for Best Book; the best-selling 'Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games', and a critically acclaimed social history of Indian sport, 'Olympics: The India Story' (co-authored). His edited books include 'Television in India: Satellites, Politics and Cultural Change' and 'Gujarat Beyond Gandhi: Identity, Conflict and Society' (co-edited)

Nalin Mehta is an award-winning social scientist, journalist and author. He is consulting editor with The Times of India and editor of the international jou. . .

Author

Nalin Mehta is an award-winning social scientist, journalist and author. He is consulting editor with The Times of India and editor of the international journal South Asian History and Culture (Routledge) as well as the Routledge 'South Asian History and Culture' book series. He has previously been managing editor, Headlines Today (India Today Group), adjunct professor at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and held senior positions with the Global Fund in Geneva, Switzerland, and UNAIDS. He has also held fellowships at National University of Singapore, Australian National University, Canberra, La Trobe University, Melbourne, and the International Olympics Museum, Lausanne.
Mehta's books include 'Behind a Billion Screens: What Television Tells Us About Modern India', a critically acclaimed national bestseller long-listed for Business Book of the Year by Tata Literary Live 2015; ‘India on Television: How Satellite Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act', which won the 2009 Asian Publishing Award for Best Book; the best-selling 'Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games', and a critically acclaimed social history of Indian sport, 'Olympics: The India Story' (co-authored). His edited books include 'Television in India: Satellites, Politics and Cultural Change' and 'Gujarat Beyond Gandhi: Identity, Conflict and Society' (co-edited)

Nalin Mehta is an award-winning social scientist, journalist and author. He is consulting editor with The Times of India and editor of the international jou. . .